Ethical Principles

The Journal of Human Rights, Law, and Policy is firmly committed to upholding the highest standards of integrity, transparency, and ethical conduct in academic publishing. Our Publication Ethics Policy is based on international best practices and aligns with the guidelines of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE), ICMJE (International Committee of Medical Journal Editors), and other scholarly publishing bodies. All participants in the publication process—including authors, reviewers, editors, and the publisher—are expected to adhere strictly to the ethical principles outlined below.

1. Responsibilities of Authors

Authors submitting manuscripts to the Journal of Human Rights, Law, and Policy are expected to uphold the following ethical standards:

1.1 Originality and Plagiarism

  • Authors must ensure that their work is entirely original and free from plagiarism, including self-plagiarism.

  • All sources must be properly cited in accordance with APA referencing standards.

  • Manuscripts are subject to plagiarism screening using iThenticate. Detected plagiarism may result in immediate rejection, permanent banning of the authors, or notification of their institution.

1.2 Authorship and Contribution

  • Authorship should be limited to those who have made significant contributions to the conception, design, execution, or interpretation of the research.

  • All individuals who made significant contributions should be listed as co-authors. Others who assisted in ancillary capacities should be acknowledged.

  • Any changes in authorship (addition, deletion, or reordering of authors) must be approved by all listed authors and explained to the editorial office.

1.3 Multiple Submissions

  • Authors must not submit the same manuscript simultaneously to more than one journal.

  • Duplicate or redundant publication without clear disclosure is considered unethical and may result in a publication ban.

1.4 Data Integrity and Falsification

  • Authors must present data truthfully and accurately. Fabrication, falsification, or selective reporting of data is strictly prohibited.

  • If errors are discovered after submission or publication, authors are obliged to notify the editorial team and cooperate in retraction or correction.

1.5 Conflict of Interest Disclosure

  • Authors must disclose all potential conflicts of interest that may be perceived as influencing the interpretation or presentation of their research.

  • Financial relationships, institutional affiliations, or personal connections that could affect objectivity must be declared in the manuscript.

1.6 Ethical Approval for Research

  • For studies involving human participants, authors must provide evidence of institutional ethics approval and informed consent.

  • Research must comply with legal and ethical standards, particularly when involving vulnerable populations such as refugees, children, or prisoners.

2. Responsibilities of Reviewers

Peer reviewers play a critical role in maintaining the journal’s academic integrity and quality. Reviewers are expected to:

2.1 Confidentiality

  • All manuscripts received for review are confidential documents and must not be shared or discussed with others except with explicit permission from the editor.

2.2 Objectivity and Constructive Feedback

  • Reviews must be objective, fair, and constructive, avoiding personal criticism or discriminatory language.

  • Feedback should aim to help authors improve the quality and clarity of their work.

2.3 Disclosure of Conflicts of Interest

  • Reviewers must inform the editors if they have any conflicts of interest (financial, personal, or professional) that may affect their impartiality.

  • Reviewers should decline to review manuscripts where such conflicts exist.

2.4 Timeliness

  • Reviewers are expected to return their evaluations within the designated review timeframe (typically 3–4 weeks).

  • If a reviewer is unable to complete the review on time, they should inform the editorial office promptly.

3. Responsibilities of Editors

The editorial board, including the Editor-in-Chief and Associate Editors, is responsible for ensuring the fairness and integrity of the publication process.

3.1 Editorial Independence

  • All editorial decisions are made independently and impartially, based on academic merit and relevance to the journal’s scope.

  • Editorial decisions are not influenced by the author’s institutional affiliation, nationality, gender, religion, or political views.

3.2 Confidentiality

  • Editors must maintain the confidentiality of all submitted manuscripts, author identities, and reviewer comments.

  • Manuscript content is only shared with reviewers, editors, and staff directly involved in the publishing process.

3.3 Handling Ethical Misconduct

  • Editors are responsible for investigating allegations of research misconduct, including plagiarism, data falsification, authorship disputes, and undisclosed conflicts of interest.

  • If ethical misconduct is proven, the journal may issue corrections, retractions, expressions of concern, or bans on future submissions.

3.4 Corrections and Retractions

  • If significant errors or ethical violations are identified post-publication, the editorial team will issue corrections, retractions, or notices of concern in accordance with COPE guidelines.

4. Publisher's Responsibilities

The publisher of the Journal of Human Rights, Law, and Policy ensures that editorial freedom is respected and that publication standards are upheld. The publisher commits to:

  • Providing technical support and resources to maintain the integrity of the editorial and peer-review process.

  • Preserving published content through secure digital archiving systems.

  • Upholding and enforcing ethical guidelines in collaboration with the editorial board.

5. Misconduct and Complaints

The journal takes ethical breaches seriously and has a structured procedure for handling complaints, which may include:

  • Reporting: Anyone may report suspected misconduct (e.g., plagiarism, unethical research) to the editorial office.

  • Investigation: The Editor-in-Chief and Ethics Committee will conduct a confidential investigation.

  • Outcomes: Depending on findings, actions may include manuscript rejection, retraction of published articles, institutional notification, and sanctions on authors or reviewers.

All complaints are handled with discretion, timeliness, and in accordance with COPE’s flowcharts for ethical oversight.

6. Ethical Oversight for Human Subjects

All submissions involving research with human subjects must comply with the Declaration of Helsinki and similar ethical frameworks. Authors must:

  • Confirm informed consent was obtained for participation and publication of personal data (e.g., interviews, photographs).

  • Provide a statement on institutional review board (IRB) or ethics committee approval.

  • Ensure anonymity and privacy protections are observed when reporting sensitive or identifiable data.

Transparency Statement on the Use of Artificial Intelligence

In light of the growing use of artificial intelligence (AI) tools in academic writing, translation, data analysis, and editorial processes, our journal is committed to ensuring full transparency and ethical responsibility in the use of such technologies throughout the submission, peer review, and publication processes.

To uphold the highest standards of academic integrity and align with the recommendations of the World Association of Medical Editors (WAME), our journal has adopted the following principles regarding the use of AI:

  1. Transparent and Responsible Use: Authors are required to clearly disclose any use of AI tools—such as ChatGPT, Grammarly, DeepL, or others—at any stage of manuscript preparation (e.g., literature review, results description, discussion writing, language editing, or translation). This disclosure should appear in the acknowledgments section or a footnote on the title page.

  2. AI Tools Cannot Be Authors: According to the WAME guidelines, AI tools cannot be credited as authors of scientific manuscripts. These tools do not meet authorship criteria because they lack legal responsibility and the ability to consent to publication or accountability for the content.

  3. Human Oversight and Validation: All AI-generated content must be critically reviewed, edited, and validated by human authors. The final responsibility for the accuracy, coherence, and integrity of the manuscript lies solely with the human contributors.

  4. Use in Peer Review: Peer reviewers using AI tools to assist with manuscript evaluation must ensure they do not share confidential information with such tools. Any AI use during review must comply with confidentiality and data protection standards.

  5. Misuse and Ethical Violations: The inappropriate use of AI—such as generating fabricated content, falsifying data, or committing plagiarism—will be treated as a serious ethical violation and subject to disciplinary action in accordance with publication ethics.

  6. Policy Review and Updates: This policy will be reviewed regularly in response to evolving AI technologies and ethical considerations. Any updates will be published on the journal’s official website.

Our journal is committed to transparency, integrity, and accountability in scientific publishing. We fully adhere to the WAME statement entitled “Recommendations on Chatbots and Generative Artificial Intelligence in Relation to Scholarly Publications.”

For the complete text of WAME’s recommendations, please visit:
https://wame.org/page3.php?id=106